


Under The Rose

by 1JettaPug, Ruriruri



Series: KISS Me One Last Time [5]
Category: KISS (US Band)
Genre: 1980s, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Arguing, Blow Jobs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fights, Food, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Male Slash, Multi, Multiple Partners, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Porn, Rock Stars, Rock and Roll, Romance, Seduction, Smut, Tears, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 12:13:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17560172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1JettaPug/pseuds/1JettaPug, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruriruri/pseuds/Ruriruri
Summary: The abysmal failure of their concept album, The Elder, leaves KISS reeling. With Ace almost totally absent and Paul falling apart, Gene and Eric strive to make the best of it-- professionally and personally. But the band’s on the line, and one misstep could ruin everything-- or be the exact linchpin they all need.





	Under The Rose

The rest of the Unmasked Tour was a smash. Europe took them in with even more eagerness than their last string of concerts abroad, and Australia, who’d never seen KISS live before, was completely entranced. If applause alone could keep a band together, KISS would have lasted an eternity.

Too bad the band was in worse shambles now than ever before. Gene didn’t know how it was possible. After the tour, Ace had all but called it quits. There wasn’t even the ghost of a repeat of that night the three of them had spent together. Gene never caught him so much as hanging around Paul’s door during the rest of the tour itself. And then, when they were back in the studio, pumped for the next album, wanting something different, Ace didn’t show.

Ace refused to show. He’d turned himself into a long-distance phone call instead of a bandmate. He was mailing in his guitar parts. The rare times he did show up, he didn’t help with brainstorming, didn’t offer any feedback. He said the whole album was total shit. When Paul snapped at him over it, Ace had fired off about how he was getting ganged up on, outvoted during every band decision, Paul and Gene staying together every fucking time, no matter how asinine the outcome. That had been almost their last practice together.

The promotional stuff for The Elder had been even worse. More streamlined costumes, haircuts for everyone-- Gene felt pretty weird about it all, maybe it was going too far-- but he’d at least had faith in the album, if not necessarily the band’s new image. Bob Ezrin hadn’t ever steered them wrong before. He’d headed Destroyer, after all, and he’d been really into Gene’s ideas for a concept album. KISS going from straight-up, boring hard rock to something really special, proving to critics and fans alike that they could step out of the box successfully. They weren’t just a bunch of guys in makeup and leather; they were more than a crazy lightshow and a pile of stunts, they were talented, damn it. They could do something thoughtful and maybe even brilliant. A whole album laying out an epic coming-of-age fantasy. Paul had been all for it, and they’d brought in a couple other writers to help-- even Eric had joined in on the lyrics on occasion. Gene felt good about it. Really good.

At least until the promotions culminated in a spot on _Friday’s._ They’d prepped in silence, Eric pretty adept with his Fox makeup now, and their roadies had piled the guitar picks on their mics as usual. It wasn’t the big return to the States they’d been hoping for, but it was a start. They’d been excited, really excited-- at that point, they were still hoping that the terrible reviews The Elder was already getting were just typical backlash for going in a different direction. Once the public heard them live, they’d understand. They’d enjoy it, go crazy over it. Gene was positive.

The first song in, Paul couldn’t hit any of the falsetto. Ace stood there like a stump, all stage presence gone, obediently playing his chords but nothing else. Paul was trying so damn hard to get the audience pumped that Gene upped his own energy as much as he could, leering in for the cameras, sticking out his tongue at random, and Eric, Eric was doing his best, pounding those drums as if his life depended on it. Gene couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him behind that gigantic kit, but he wanted to. It would have been far preferable to what he was facing-- stares and silent criticism from every single member of the studio audience.

It didn’t get better. It kept deteriorating. Paul got more frenetic, more desperate, while Gene started to falter. He didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until their performance ended, with a way more subtle bunch of flashpots exploding, and only the first few rows bothered with a standing ovation.

A glance at the mic stands told him everything he needed to know. Every one of them had just as many guitar picks attached as when the roadies had first assembled them. Nobody, not him, not Ace, and not even Paul, had thrown a single one to the audience.

Nobody wanted them. Nobody wanted _KISS._

The critiques hit harder after that. The backlash they’d tried to ignore sunk in deeper and deeper. Now here they were, back in the studio, wondering what the hell had gone wrong.

Gene’s finger traced lightly over the crumpled paper, the tips of his fingers running over the scribbled writing of his critically acclaimed failure. His hands felt tired, and they needed a break, completely failing him all day whenever he tried to strum and play on his bass. With a low sigh, Gene felt his eyes closing on their own. He just felt so tired, basically running on pure caffeine and very little sleep for the past week. Maybe it was just now catching up with him?

No… 

No, no. It wasn’t just that. He knew that, and he’d be a damn fool to try to convince himself that that was the only reason. His eyes opened back to the sheet paper, and he shut the top of the folder it rested in. He couldn’t look at it again… couldn’t stand remembering those critics and even the KISS Army claim it wasn’t KISS, scream aloud it wasn’t rock and roll.

God, all Gene had tried to do was salvage their careers as they edged closer and closer to the brink of total failure. The producers had told him to make an album that went back-to-basics. No more trying to tap into the pop market, just solid hard rock anthems, something for the stadiums. Gene had heard their demands, but he wanted to experiment, wanted to be bold and really stick the band’s neck on the line. Well, fuck him. If he could have seen how all of it would have turned out, then he would have saved his concept and songs for another solo album.

The reviews were still ringing in his ears: _“overblown,” “vacuous narcissism,” “unimpressive,” “pretentious.” "What the @#$% is this?"_ was even written down in one article, and Gene was surprised they printed that in the paper.

Still, there were only so many times he could stand to think about that right now without getting sick and tired.

But that was what he felt like! Gene felt sick. And tired. So damn exhausted…

Without a word, he lifted his bass up, removed its strap from around him and set it back down on its stand. Slowly, he reached his hands up and rubbed at the back of his neck for a moment, then covered his face with them. He breathed out, feeling the exhale run smooth over his skin. He did this several times in an attempt to slow his heart rate and calm himself down before he broke down, and when he felt like he was good, he removed his hands.

Gene glanced over to his left.

Paul wasn’t there. Too busy yelling at Aucoin for helping convince him and Gene that the way to turn things around was to let them just run with the _"concept album"_ idea. Too busy spiraling into a whirlwind of emotions over each word the rock critics and KISS Army gave the album, repeating that they were unimpressed and not going to waste their time or money on them. Gene had tried to console him, even through his own pain, pointing out that a few reviews did give them some grudging respect for being daring enough to take such an unexpected creative leap. For Paul, though, it wasn’t enough- wouldn’t ever be enough. If Gene was depressed about the album's failure, Paul was headed firmly toward a nervous breakdown over it. He’d never seen Paul so upset for so long, not even fresh after splitting up with Ace. Paul didn't seem able to pull himself together. He was treating The Elder backlash like the final nail in the coffin of KISS, insisting they were done for now, really done for, and Gene didn’t know how to fix it. He didn’t even know if he could at this point…

Gene felt helpless….

“ _Gene?_ ”

“Eric…”

Damn. He had forgotten about Eric still sitting at his drum-kit just a few feet behind him. 

Eric hadn’t said much during rehearsal. Hadn’t known what to say, really. There really… well, to be honest, there wasn’t much point in having a rehearsal right now, with no tour anywhere in the remote future-- it was mostly an excuse to bring everyone into the studio to lick their wounds. Eric had shown up, hoping to find some way to lighten the mood, only to arrive to Gene depressed and pouty and Paul… well, Paul was always tetchy, but since The Elder’s release he’d been getting worse. 

It was Gene’s demeanor that was really bothering him, though. He didn’t argue much with Paul’s tirades, and Eric half-wondered if he was tuning them out-- he couldn’t blame him if he was. But there was more to it than that. Gene had a certain toughness about him that Eric had always admired, a grit and a confidence that wasn’t really based on other people’s opinion. The disaster of The Elder shouldn’t have been enough to shut him down. Eric didn’t think it _was_ enough for that. But with Paul snapping and perpetually upset even in rehearsals… he had a good idea Paul probably wasn’t any different in private. Probably worse. If Gene was dealing with that all day, every day, then… then their relationship might hit a breaking point, and soon.

No, he couldn’t be thinking like that. It was selfish, hoping they’d split over the failed album. Paul was clearly edging towards some kind of breakdown-- it was sick of him to be hedging his bets on something that damaging. But he had to know. It was past time for Gene to be upfront with him, not just for his sake but for the band’s. Eric was tired of the open secrets, all the things he wasn’t supposed to know about but did anyway, all the things the guys expected him to just ignore. He knew he’d never find his footing in KISS until they-- until Gene-- trusted him enough to let him in.

“Gene… Hey, man, so be straight with me,” Eric sighed, twirling a drumstick in his hand. “What’s been eating at you- besides the album?”

“Isn’t that _enough?_ ” Gene was staring at the kit and not Eric’s face. The KISS logo emblazoned upon it never had looked so ostentatious, so hateful. “Unmasked got less than half Dynasty’s sales. Didn’t even go platinum. We all thought that was bad. But The Elder… _fuck,_ it won’t even get close to gold.” Eric didn’t get it, he insisted to himself. Eric hadn’t been there just a couple years back, when the whole country was tuned in to KISS. If he had, maybe he’d realize what an utter shitshow everything was turning into.

“Aww, Gene… It’ll do fine in the oversea markets, just watch.”

“That doesn’t matter. The bulk of our market is right here in the States. What good is Australia eating the album up if we can’t get sales in our own damn country?”

“I dunno, the Australian girls definitely made that flight over worth it. I’m sure they’d like KISS to be down under again…” Eric laughed, or tried to, but the gloom and disgust on Gene’s face made him falter.

“Paul thinks we’re six feet under.”

The statement shouldn’t have caught Eric’s interest like it did. He glanced over at Gene, trying to see if his expression had changed any, some betrayal of feelings. Just dealing with Paul’s anguish over the album was exhausting enough in the studio. Eric couldn’t imagine how Gene was handling it in private. Or… or was he handling it? Were they even still together?

“We’re not six feet under, we’re _KISS!_ We’ll come back from this. Like… like your undead comic book vampires.”

Despite himself, Gene started to chuckle, albeit weakly. Emboldened, if only a little, Eric managed a smile and kept going.

“Still, man, I know you’d normally just be brushing this off and be moving straight to the next idea. I know you. To see you just sort of stumped…” Eric shook his head. “Hey, listen, I know why you’re really hurting...”

“You don’t know me like that, Eric…” Gene muttered, accidentally letting his tongue have a freudian slip. He corrected himself just a bit, “Not as well as you’d think.” he added, softly, casting his eyes down to his feet.

“Ah, don’t give me that bull! I know you’d be moving onto the next big idea and trying to get us back up there… Gene… C’mon, you’ve been really distant lately.” Gene tensed up at that, immediately, and Eric looked up and saw his nails digging into his legs through his jeans. “Gene, you used to talk to me, used to explain everything about the music, used to trail off on your own little stories and epics… but now, hell, I haven’t even heard you bitch about Paul implementing that stupid doughnut ban. I’m worried…” he said, a frown pulling the corners of his lips down.

“Eric, you don’t understand…” Gene sighed, shaking his head.

“Well, I can guess! I can guess all I want, Gene, but you’re right. I don’t understand ’cause no one’s bothered to explain anything to me.” he told him, flatly, setting his drumsticks down and crossing his arms across his chest. “God, do you even know how left out of the loop I feel ’cause you, Paul and Ace haven’t bothered to sit down and tell me what’s been eating at all of you? I mean, I’m a part of this- have been for a little while now! I ought to know about this if it’s gonna affect me. Gene… I want in on this...” he trailed off, softly, casting his gaze down to his drums.

An old icy feeling gripped Gene’s heart, and suddenly it felt like a bit of KISStory was starting to repeat itself all over again… How lost, how confused and jealous had Gene been when he had found out about Ace and Paul leaving him out of their loop? When he found out they’d been screwing around under his nose for years? God, he knew what Eric was feeling, knew his frustrations all too well.

“I thought we’d been doing a pretty good job integrating you into the band,” Gene sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Keeping you involved and involved with us-- you helped us write some of the songs for The Elder--”

“Gene, that’s not what I’m talking about. Look, I know about your relationship.”

“My--”

“With Paul. I know he’s not just your business partner.” Eric cut him off. “I’ve known for a while now… I- I tried to ask Paul about it in Paris… but he didn’t want to talk about it. He wouldn’t explain anything to me.”

“Eric…” Gene swallowed and shut his eyes. Eric knew... and he tried to ask Paul about them. Eric knew, and had known, since last year. God. “Paul wouldn’t explain anything?”

“Paul didn’t wanna talk about your relationship,” Eric muttered. “I don’t blame him that night, honestly. But I tried asking him later, and he brushed me off!”

“He was upset…” Over Ace running out on them, finally leaving and breaking up with him. How Ace had managed that, months after Paul had declared them over, Gene didn’t know, but he had. Maybe Ace had just wanted the last word, wanted to go out on his own terms. All he knew was that the two weeks after the night they’d all spent together had been absolutely hellish. Paul had been inconsolable, spending every morning staring at the bruises left on his skin, touching them with a strained, awful expression on his face. Especially the mark Ace had left next to his deformed ear. But Gene had to give Paul credit for not seeking Ace out. Not once. Instead, Paul had just gotten more settled into his own despair as Ace drifted further out of orbit.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Gene let loose a deep breath, then opened up his eyes and glanced over at him. That wasn’t worth getting himself worked up over again. He had more important matters to deal with, like Eric knowing about them. 

God, Eric knew, and he hadn’t been disgusted, judgemental or just up and left the band. He wouldn’t have blamed Eric if he had. Aucoin having boyfriends was one thing, but a bandmate, someone you ate with, slept with, for months at a time… he couldn’t blame anyone for feeling strange or put-out by it. Okay, so Eric could handle it- handle their relationship. It lifted a major weight off from his shoulders, but a heavy cement block only appeared and crushed down on his heart. Fuck... Eric knew… He knew about them, and he was looking for answers, looking for something from Gene that he couldn’t get from anyone else.

Gene’s heart started beating a bit faster as a simple question that hung in his mind slipped into his mouth. Why? “Why do you want to know?”

“Because you’re important to me.” Eric blinked, realizing what he’d just said, and then stammered, “ _I mean… I-_ I mean, I don’t like being shut out, er--”

“It’s fine! It’s fine.” Gene took a breath. “You… you want a play by play or something? I really don’t wanna be here all night, Eric.”

“We won’t. I’m not-- this isn’t about me being curious--”

“I know.” Another exhale. He didn’t know where to begin. “Look… okay. Paul and Ace were involved first. They were together for years.”

Eric started to laugh. 

“I fucking knew it.”

“I didn’t! Not at first. They were… well, _Paul_ was pretty stealthy...” And Ace’s tendency to be more obviously bent the more alcohol he had in him, weirdly, had thrown Gene off of ever guessing he and Paul could’ve had a thing in the early days. Clearing his throat, he continued. “They weren’t ever exclusive, obviously. Anyway, things fell apart with them, I got with Paul… that time in Paris, that’s why Paul was so upset with Ace when he started kissing you. He was just trying to throw you in Paul’s face.”

“Then what about you?”

“What about me?”

“In the club, Gene.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking ab-”

“Gene, c’mon! You ripped Ace right off of me and pulled me close! You just got so jealous…”

Gene felt the tip of his ears turn red in embarrassment. “I- I don’t get jealous-”

“Okay, now that’s bullshit. Everyone gets jealous,” Eric told him. “And you proved it by shoving him back like you caught him kissing your partner-”

“But you aren’t!” Gene shouted, then realized what he just said. Eric deflated a little bit at his words, and it sank the sword straight through his heart. “You aren’t, and Paul is… I love him, Eric.”

“...I know you do, Gene. Man, do I know it.” Eric sighed, deeply. “I guessed at it day one in the studio. Even from behind my kit, I could just see the way he looked at you, like you created the heavens and the stars. ...But I looked at you just like that during the audition-”

“And I wanted you since that first moment.” Gene cut in, guessing exactly what Eric was going to say next. The drummer blinked in surprise, then lowered his head back down in shame. 

“It’s been hard for me. Honestly, Gene...” Eric whispered. “Ever since I found out you and Paul were really an item, I’ve just been driving myself crazy thinking about you.” he admitted to him. “Every glance you gave me, every smack on the ass before and after the concerts where your hand lingered, every time you didn’t need to pull me into a hug but did… Gene, it’s just been building up in me. I feel like I’m gonna explode!”

“Eric, I… I’m sorry for leading you on like this…”

“Gene… I’m sorry,” Eric said, glancing up at him through his bangs, then back down. “Damn, I must sound like I’m pressuring you. Fuck, truth is, I- I really just don’t wanna step in and be a homewrecker.”

“You’re not going to be a homewrecker, Eric. Paul and I just need some time to help settle things down, both in the band and with ourselves. We’ll be fine. We’ve worked through harder things…” Gene wasn’t honestly sure if that was true. With every single new album, they seemed to be headed closer to catastrophe. Maybe he’d just spent too much time with Paul, but this time, he was wondering if they really had hit rock bottom. If there really wasn’t a way out. He swallowed. “Right now- look at me- we have time to sit down and talk.”

Eric nodded and smiled as he looked up into Gene’s eyes, feeling his heart flutter at the deep eye-contact. “So, uhh…” Damn, why did he suddenly feel so nervous? He cleared his throat and glanced down at his twiddling thumbs. “I… Gene, I like you.”

When Eric slowly looked back up again, he was met with a comforting smile spread across Gene’s face.

“I like you, too.” And he meant it with every ounce of his heart. Gene meant it as strongly as he said he loved Paul.

“But before we do anything, I… you just… need to understand that I… I don’t wanna come between you and Paul. I don’t wanna screw things up with the band, and I really, really don’t wanna mess with anything going on with you two. I can’t do this if that’s going to happen.”

Gene pursed his lips in concentration and nodded, waiting for Eric to continue. The drummer swallowed hard before opening his mouth again.

“But it’s hard… ’Cause I really want to do something- say something, and it’s really difficult to deal with and um… It has been for a while. Maybe since the audition… but… the time that we spent together on the tour, it made me realize how much I want to try to be with you. I also saw how much Paul meant to you, though, and I couldn’t just ignore that. I don’t want to come in and destroy what you two have …but if you genuinely promise that we can talk about this-”

“I promise.” Gene immediately replied. “We’ll talk about it. I like you, Eric. Hell, I have, too, since your audition-”

“That’s not why I got the job, _right?_ ”

“Pfft, no! You were the best drummer there!” Gene smiled and laughed. “Sure, I was thinking with my dick, but I’m pretty sure Paul and Ace were there thinking with their heads.” 

Eric nodded for a short moment and then lifted the tip of his lips. “You were thinking with your dick, huh?” he chuckled, softly.

“Well… The tongue plays a major role, too.” Gene told him, eyes watching as the drummer rose up out of his seat and stood before him. “You wouldn’t believe how much of an input it gets in.”

“I could try~” Eric murmured, faintly, staring up at Gene with the cutest damn eyes in the world. Those soft lips were parted ever so slightly for him, and his tongue quickly ran over the bottom lip. Gene couldn’t look away.

The only thing he could do was quickly look around to make sure that yes, the door to the recording room was shut tight and yes, there was no one behind the glass still. Then he snaked his hands around Eric’s waist and leaned forward, taking those lips as tenderly as he could.

Copying his movement, Eric moved the final few inches into his space and seemed to hesitate for an instant before he leaned in and kissed him. Saying Eric hadn't thought about kissing Gene would be a lie, and vice versa. Both of them had thought about it, on and off again throughout the touring and entire time they had known each other, but never had either of them dared to take steps to make it actually happen.

To Eric, Gene was squarely off limits. First, because Gene was straight as far as he knew until Paris; second, because he was with Paul in a relationship; and third, because Eric couldn't afford to lose him. If something went wrong and he lost him, he didn't know what he'd do. Not only would he lose Gene, but he’d also probably get fired from KISS, too. But it was getting hard. He found himself feeling like he needed Gene as much as he needed air to breathe some lonely, desperate nights.

No, he couldn’t ruin it for himself before. Eric liked him too much to ever risk saying goodbye. So, for Gene to finally, _finally_ be kissing him and giving him the affection he had been longing for since day one- Oh, Eric was absolute putty in his hands.

Naturally, though, he whined softly when Gene finally pulled back for some air. Gene gave his ass a good squeeze to calm him down, and he chuckled at his little pout.

“God, I’ve wanted this _so much,_ ” Gene whispered, his eyes staring deep into Eric’s.

“Me too, _me too,_ ” he whispered back, and like a magnet, he inched a little closer. “Fuck, I’ve wanted this- wanted _you!_ ” Eric placed his hands on the nape of Gene’s neck, pulling him closer for another gentle kiss.

Gene reached up, brushing his fingers along the outside of his arm, making the drummer shiver. Eric pressed his body closer to him, and Gene let out a shaky breath. The bassist leaned down and nuzzled his neck, causing Eric to let out a little moan. It only grew louder when Gene began kissing his neck up to his ear, and Eric pulled him down so he could bite his ear gently, and Gene let out a faint whimper. Their lips collided the next they met, Eric groans being pleasantly muffled as Gene kissed him deeply.

Eric wrapped his arms around his neck, and Gene picked him up before holding him up against the wall. Eric moaned into Gene’s mouth, making him growl, which sent excitement down to his stomach. The need in the kiss making it more passionate, Eric gasped for air as Gene hungrily attacked his lips.

Gene began to trail down Eric’s neck to his collarbone. The drummer moaned, leaning back against the wall as Gene sucked and kissed on his chest and shoulders until he reached the center of his breast. Gene yanked his halfway open buttoned up shirt to the side to expose him to the cool air of the room. Eric let out a gasp as he bit down on his nipple, he sucked and teased it with his legendary tongue, driving him crazy.

Eric looked to him and grabbed him by his curly locks in order to pull him back to kiss him. Their tongues danced together, and Gene peeled him off the wall, and Eric wrapped his short legs around his waist. Gene let out a low growl, giving Eric’s cushy ass a squeeze. Gene carried him over to the couch on the side of their studio, resting Eric down on the pillows before settling down next to him. Eric climbed over onto his lap and began kissing down Gene’s body, ripping off his leather jacket and clawing until his shirt was completely unbuttoned. The bassist melted under his touches. 

_Fuck, this feels good…_ Gene thought to himself. And Eric was so eager, so damn eager, excited, invigorating. After the disaster of the last few months, the way The Elder was already bombing, Paul’s misery and Ace’s fucking off, Eric was like a shot of adrenaline right to his heart. He needed that. Needed the lift so badly. Again and again, Gene felt like he was carrying the whole load of the band, solely responsible for keeping it from crumbling. Eric didn’t want him to do that. Eric wanted to know and understand and feel and-- and help. In more ways than one. Eric was licking down Gene’s exposed chest, pinching his nipples, every breath against his skin making Gene feel a little warmer, a little more at ease than he’d been in months.

His gaze wandered from Eric’s fluffy mop of hair across the room to the clock on the wall, and suddenly he remembered. Paul had said he was going to meet up with him back at the hotel after whatever passed for his meeting with Aucoin. Gene was ten minutes late already. But late for what? Another night of watching Paul delve into yet another torrid of self-pity? Listening to Paul bitch and whine even more about The Elder, about Ace, about how badly they’d all fucked up? He knew that wasn’t fair of him. He knew Paul just didn’t bounce back from anything; it wasn’t in his nature. But Christ, he just wanted a break, and right now, Eric’s warm, squirming body against him seemed like exactly what the doctor ordered. _Dr. Love’s_ prescription for himself.

“Eric, _Eric~_ ” Gene called out to him, glancing down to face him, before he cupped Eric’s cheek with one hand and pressed their mouths together again.

This time, it was gentle but still firm and needy. Far more calculated and thought out than their messy kisses before. Soon enough, Gene was pushing his tongue past his lips, and Eric was letting him, leaning up so their noses bumped together during the kiss. Gene moved gently but pushed and explored Eric’s limits with ease, first diving deep, then nipping at his bottom lip, then kissing him shortly, once then twice then a third and fourth time for good measure, before he pulled back.

Eric’s hand was rubbing tight circles into Gene’s thigh by the time he ended it. The other hand was cradling the side of Gene’s face at the ear in a sweet parallel to what Gene did to him, though the bassist held himself steady, carefully. It was there in his eye, and Eric loved it, loved watching that fire of confidence blaze on. Those sparks of desire just popped out at him, tempting him to go back in for more. More and more and all he could take from the Demon, himself.

The place where Gene’s thumb touched Eric’s temple made him shiver, belatedly. He breathed out heavily for no reason at all. “Uh.” Eric murmured, as if that was a complete sentence. “ _Whoa._ ”

“Left a little speechless, _huh?_ ” Gene asked him, softly, with his lips only a mere two inches from Eric’s. The smirk was pulling more at one side of his mouth than the other. Eric could run his tongue along Gene’s lips far too easily from this angle.

“We’ve really been kissing?”

“Yup.”

“I kissed you…” Eric’s grin was getting bigger by the second. “You kissed me! Gene, I can’t… _Whoa…_ ”

“Sorry, I don’t usually start off by playing footsie.” Gene shrugged.

“No! No, _gosh!_ Don’t apologize, Gene… I mean, that was really, really nice. I enjoyed it. _A lot,_ ” Eric blushed a little.

Gene just smiled down at him and pinched his cheek. “Goddammit, you’re _too cute._ ”

“Aww, cut it out~ I am not~” Eric blushed even harder now.

“Yes, yes you are, Eric. Cutest damn thing in the whole state of California- nah, the entire United States. So fuckin’ adorable~”

“Not the world?”

“...Okay, but consider all the lil’ puppies out there…”

Eric shook his head, throwing his fluffy curls about everywhere. “Aww, fine. That’s fair. I still can’t believe you kissed me, though.”

Gene just smiled down at him for a moment, not saying a word. He stared longingly at him like he were trying to memorize every single detail of his face. “If you didn’t believe it the first time, then maybe this’ll help…” he said and grabbed Eric by the neck to kiss him.

Eric’s eyes closed too late, and a startled hum pulled through his throat and to his lips against Gene’s. Gene pressed firm against him, encouraging him to be the one to use his tongue to pry into his mouth, and Eric responded with some sensual instinct, taking the invitation to lick his way into Gene’s mouth. Gene’s hand climbed up to grip at his fluffy hair, but he didn’t dare tug at it, figuring Eric wouldn’t appreciate having the precious curls he was so paranoid about losing yanked out of his head. Instead, he kept his hand still but its pressure on him steady, and Eric nodded against him in return, silently thanking him for the gentle treatment. 

A silent understanding, Gene thought to himself. It felt so nice, so relaxing to connect with someone else like this again. It had been weeks since Paul had even looked him straight in the eye, so to have Eric already communicating with him on that kind of level already… Gene could only smile more into their kiss.

“ _Mmmhm,_ that’s really _nice._ ” Eric spoke softly to him when they finally pulled back for air. Both were close to panting, nerve endings at the base of their necks both frizzled and electrified with energy and lust.

“Really _nice._ Too goddamn perfect, Eric.” Gene smirked. “Now, let’s make sure you’ll be seeing this moment in your dreams tonight... “ He told him, then kissed Eric again, opening his mouth when Eric nipped his lip for permission to deepen the kiss. The sensation of exploring each other's mouth was delightful, and Gene naturally felt the familiar tendrils of arousal coil down his spine. As the kiss became more insistent, he let Eric press his back into the couch. Gene purred, and he let his hands wander over him.

It was only when Eric felt one of Gene's hands trail down his waist that he realized that the simple kiss he had intended to indulge in for only a minute was rapidly turning into something they couldn't recover from. He couldn’t deny that he had wanted it, but he couldn’t let them do this to Paul. Not without him knowing they both wanted each other… Eric stopped Gene's hand just before it got to where it was headed and broke the kiss.

" _No, I can't--_ " Eric started, forced to stop to catch his breath. "Gene… I- I can't do that. I won’t let you do that, either. I know you don’t wanna do this to Paul, but I know you want--"

Eric stopped himself. Gene's breaths were ghosting over his face as he recovered, his face looking more pained than truly hurt. 

“I can’t do this to Paul. Please… _Please,_ don’t hate me for it--”

"Eric, no. No, no, no. You’re fine! It’s _me!_ " Gene insisted, his dark brown eyes imploring Eric to believe him. "I want you. Fuck, want you so bad… But I want Paul…” Gene sighed, deeply. “Listen, I can’t do this to him, either. I can’t, we can’t kid ourselves. It’s not like the groupies and the girlfriends. No matter how much we’ve wanted this.”

Pain and lust were swelling in Gene's chest as he spoke. Eric brushed his nose against his cheek, affectionately, and asked, 

"But we can wait, right?"

Gene mulled that over. There was so much want, desire and hope in his words, but Gene was looking at Eric more and more like he was a lifeline. A spark of life that he desperately needed and had wanted for a long time. He knew that if they continued this dance, then they could risk it all. Risk not only his and Paul’s relationship but risk KISS’s fate. If Gene screwed up with this, then he just knew that he would be packing his bags to return to New York in no time at all.

"I’m not gonna do it with you, Eric," Gene said, his voice firm, steady. Then, his voice took on a more nervous quality, he looked down so that he wasn't looking directly into Eric's eyes and finished with, "I care for you- really like you- but I can't do this right now. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if we did."

"I know, I know,” Eric muttered, brushing against him again. “But w- we’ll talk to Paul. Promise we will talk it out, Gene? Please, I need to hear it.”

Gene nodded as he looked into his earnest brown eyes. “We’ll talk it out with him when he’s feeling better. He really can’t handle this right now…” Eric nodded in understanding. “But hey. Hey, listen, we,” Gene motioned between them with his hand. “ _We_ want this.”

“ _So much,_ ” Eric assured him, softly.

“So, why don’t we just work on building it up together? Really show Paul how much we want this to work when we tell him?” Going around Paul’s back, even it was a little bit, was Gene going ahead and putting everything on the line. It would either be glorious, or end with someone getting his ass kicked. … Probably Gene. But Gene wanted to know if they would work, wanted to test each other out before Eric made a real commitment with them. Gene just hoped it worked out and trusted luck to see them through the rest.

"Okay. Yes. Yeah, let’s try it."

Gene's eyes lit up, and he smiled at him. "Really?"

"Really," Eric reaffirmed, happily. He was getting so excited now, wriggling atop Gene’s lap in complete and total anticipation over what was to come in their future together.

Gene nuzzled him, then said, “Alright then. Now… Lay back down on this couch and let me stick my tongue back in your mouth.”

Eric couldn’t think of much of a reply to give him. All he could do was just do as he was told, feeling just a little sorry that Gene wasn’t going to fuck him on the couch. But he could live it for now. Yeah, he and Gene could just start off by getting a real feel for each other. A bit of kissing was really harmless. It was better than going behind Paul’s back and fucking his boyfriend… Eric would never betray a friend like that- never help his boyfriend betray him like that. But kissing- _oooohhhhh,_ kissing was so nice and loving.

And that was all Gene was going to do to him. Embrace him, kiss him, give into his own desires and help Eric give into his own, too. All Eric could do was lay back, let Gene move atop of him and cradle his face with one hand, and let him stick his tongue back down his throat.

They needed this. Needed this lift so badly.

 

  
Paul exhaled, feeling for like one of those cloistered monks that just got out of the abbott. Or that… that Socrates shit, the story about the guys that only saw the shadows on the cave and thought that was all there was to life, never seeing or believing there even could be a world outside their space. He’d been like that. He’d been like that for half a year at least.

Without a tour, without even promotional appearances or newspaper interviews, he hadn’t known what to do with himself. He’d spent a lot of time torturing himself in record stores, buying other groups’ albums, listening and wondering what had kept them relevant while KISS was in its grave. He put the Stones’ Tattoo You on endless repeat, wondering bitterly how in the hell a band that had started before he hit puberty was still able to rake in in a number-two song and a number-one album.

Maybe because they had a songwriting duo that paid attention to what the public wanted instead of surrounding themselves with yes-men and ego strokers.

Maybe because their tour schedule had never been as relentless. Maybe because they knew when to pull out and didn’t just pander to kiddie shit. Maybe… maybe.

What time Paul hadn’t wasted on other people’s albums, he’d wasted in bed with a long stretch of swimsuit models and Playboy Playmates. Beautiful, vacuous girls, blondes with amazing tits and perfect faces, and in the end they’d only reminded him all the more of how much of a failure he was. He wasn’t bedding them on his own merits. He wasn’t in their league. Without Starchild and KISS to bolster him up, he wasn’t anything.

One of the girls told him he’d never be happy. That he was too critical of everyone else, too focused on other people’s flaws, too cutting and callous. He’d thrown her out soon after that, but that hadn’t made her any less right. The only thing she didn’t know was that the one he critiqued most, the one he hated most, was himself.

Gene had tried to reach out to him over and over. Eric, too. Ace, of course… there’d been almost nothing from Ace. He might as well have finally taken his rocket ride back to Jendell. Scorched earth policy. A drunken call or two and then silence. Probably he deserved that.

It was only just lately, over the span of the last couple months, that he’d been able to pull himself back together. Not without help, granted-- the time off touring had meant he’d been able to do some research into plastic surgery on his ear. It was pretty new; they normally did it on kids, but he’d been determined and found a surgeon willing to go for it. He still wasn’t done with the surgeries, and the recovery was hellish since they used his rib cartilage just to make the damn ear-- he’d never have normal hearing, not ever, it’d just look better-- but he was getting there. At least he’d have one less thing to hide soon.

Gene had been there for that. Gene would’ve been there for a lot more, Paul was sure of it, if he hadn’t shut him out. They hadn’t… they hadn’t-- Paul’d _hoped_ they hadn’t broken up. Paul figured Gene was seeing plenty of other women, too, and that was fine, had always been fine. But if Gene had called it quits on him… gotten exhausted, realizing what a fucked-up, insecure mess Stanley Eisen really was… God, Paul wouldn’t have blamed him in the slightest. 

Somehow he hadn’t. Somehow as Paul had eased himself back into society at large, he’d found himself with Gene right by his side as if he’d never been away at all. And now here they were, back to the drawing board, worried but determined, trying to build the foundations for KISS’s comeback album.

It had been a really long day. A really long day in the studio of them just tossing ideas for the new album back and forth. Gene had tried throwing a few titles up, but even he retracted them after saying them. Even Eric had tried helping them come up with an idea, saying if this new album was going to be darker, then they should focus on working in ‘night’ into the title. Gene and Paul both nodded in agreement to that, but that was as far as they all got today.

Eric had left the studio an hour before Gene motioned for Paul to finally drop his pen and paper. He did… Only after ten more minutes of scribbling down possible title ideas. Gene rolled his eyes and plucked the pen out of his hands, tossing it onto the floor and hauling him to his feet.

Paul shut his eyes and leaned back against the elevator wall. He was so damn tired he hardly remembered the taxi ride to the hotel. All he could do was piece together Gene leading him into the car, moving him out and throwing an arm over his shoulder to guide him into the elevator. He punched the button for the top floor they were on and leaned back next to Paul.

“I can’t wait to get some sleep,” Paul said and sighed, softly.

“I know…” Gene muttered, glancing him over. “You look tired- beautiful, but tired.” he smiled, warmly.

“Mmhm, thanks.”

“I mean it, Paulie.” Gene told him, leaning his head slowly closer to Paul’s face and found his partners nose with his own. Time stood still for them when Gene found Paul's lips and kissed him hard, harder than he had kissed him in months. That seemed to bring some life into Paulie, who began to moan and smile against Gene.

Eventually, Paul began to really kiss back. Slowly, at first, but then hungrily, like his life depended on it. Gene hadn’t kissed him like this in months, hadn’t been this passionate in what truly felt like forever.

When they finally pulled back from each other, they were both breathing heavily. Paul hummed a little, and Gene felt like questions were about to fall out of his mouth, but he didn’t say a word. All he did was curl up happily next to his partner and trace a finger down his front.

Gene smirked down at him, then rewarded him by gently leaning his head so that he had straight access to Paul’s neck. Gently, he pressed his lips down against his sensitive skin there and held them there. It really had been too long since they had been together like this... 

“ _Gene…_ ” Paul moaned, faintly.

Hearing his partner’s voice, Gene began to kiss and suck on Paul’s neck. He bit down against his flesh, hard enough to leave marks but not enough to bruise. It was then that Gene felt something hard touching his thigh. The bassist just grinned devilishly and gently rubbed against Paul’s crotch with his knee.

“G- Gene!” Paul was breathing heavily against him and melting against the wall. His hands dangled down, fully submissive to his touches.

Unfortunately, before they could move further, the doors opened up and the elevator dinged at them to alert them that they had arrived on the top floor. Paul groaned, but Gene just nuzzled against him.

“Hey, hey, we’re good. We can continue this in the room~” Gene smiled down at him.

“Gene… I’m still too tired for sex,” But a blow job or hand job would be most welcomed right about now. Paul hoped the night went in either direction, honestly, after all those heated touches in the elevator. He wasn’t that picky tonight.

“That’s alright. That’s great, actually, ’cause I have a little bit of a surprise waiting up here for you.”

Paul’s eyes lit up just a small bit. “A surprise? Like a present?”

“You could say that,” Gene chuckled, deeply, pulling him off the elevator and down the hall to their room. He inserted the key, opened the door and moved Paul into the room.

Paul gasped and stopped right in his tracks. Red rose petals covered the floor and led right up to the bed in the center of the room. There was a bottle of wine chilling in an ice bucket and a single glass flute on the nightstand beside a platter of decadent chocolates and fancy cheeses. Paul felt heat rise to his cheeks as realization began to set in. His fingers twitched in excitement, and Gene’s followed suit until they were holding hands, tightly. 

“You… Gene, you planned this? _You_ planned all of this for _me?_ ” Paul asked him.

“Yup,” Gene nodded, then removed his hand only to remove his jacket, then Paul’s, draping them both over the back of the desk chair. “I thought that you might enjoy a little romantic evening. Just a little something I could manage to throw together, anyway.”

“Oh, ohhh, Gene!” Paul said, feeling his emotions rise up and fall all at once in his chest. He could barely believe it. This just wasn’t Gene’s style, not at all. Just staring at everything made Paul feel like he was going to be nothing but a warm pile of guts on the floor at any moment. He’d tried spoiling plenty of girlfriends this way, but to have Gene do it for him, to have Gene know this was exactly the kind of thing he’d get all flushed about... Paul turned to face him but his eyes stopped instantly when they spotted Gene’s fingers moving to the top button of his shirt. “Gene, I…. I don’t know what to say, I…”

“Then don’t say anything. Just relax.” Then the next few buttons. “I’ll pour you some wine, we can eat… I had some of those chocolates earlier, they’re really good…”

“I’m surprised any of them are still here, then.”

“Hey! I tried your diet…”

“ _Tried_ being the key word,” Paul smiled at him.

“Ohh, just get over on the bed, and I’ll pour you a glass.” Gene huffed, lightly.

Paul nodded then crossed the room, sitting down on the bed and disturbing the petals on the sheets. He flicked a few of the petals down onto the ground, watching them float with with faint interest before finally putting his own hands to work. Just like Gene, he began to undo the buttons on his shirt, but Paul went and completely undid every one and tossed his shirt onto the floor, baring his chest out for him.

“Here we go,” Gene said, handing over Paul’s glass to him with one hand and holding onto the platter of food with the other.

Paul swirled the wine around for a moment, watching Gene take two pieces of dark chocolate and stuff them into his mouth. “I hope you plan on sharing some of that tonight.”

“You’ll get some… maybe.” Gene grinned, playfully.

“Maybe I’ll just take one right now,” Paul said, then grabbed a piece and laid it on his tongue.

“Well, let’s just hope that that’s not the only thing you’ll rest on your tongue, tonight.”

“ _Gene…_ ” Paul smirked at him, then finally took a sip of his wine. He held it there in his mouth after he took it in and let it blanket his tongue before swallowing. His taste buds were instantly enthralled by blackberries and slight hint of leather. He closed his eyes and savored it, trying to memorize all of the complexity he was tasting in the finish. Paul opened his eyes and looked straight at Gene.

“I didn’t know you knew how to pick out wines.”

“Well, I might’ve just asked what tasted the best and opted for a bottle of that.” Gene admitted, then popped a piece of white chocolate into his mouth. 

Paul just shook his head and nodded, then took another sip. His head moved from side to side as he processed the delights of it in his mouth. Finally, after not making a sound besides enjoyable humming for two whole minutes, Paul drained his glass and moved to set it down on the floor beside the bed. Gene had watched him the entire time, watched him drain every last drop from the flute and lick around the inside of the glass just for show for him.

“You know what I might be down for?” Paul said, slowly, taking another piece of chocolate, this time not bothering to try to eat it sensually. He had a dim feeling if he took his time too much, Gene would devour the rest of the platter-- he looked kind of antsy. Maybe Paul had taken the whole band diet thing a little too far, if Gene was getting like this... 

“What?”

“Mm, a bath. You wanna?”

“ _No!_ ” Gene exclaimed. “I- I mean, no, there’s not enough room, you know hotel tubs--”

“Nah, I checked earlier. It’s pretty big, I think we could manage…” Paul got up from the bed, crossing over toward the bathroom, while Gene sputtered, grabbing his arm.

“No, no, that’s not--”

“Gene, it’s fine. You did more than I expected, it’s cool if you didn’t throw petals in the bathroom, too--” Paul said, brushing away Gene’s arm and opening the door. He didn’t even make it into the doorway before catching sight of Eric standing right in front of the sink, busy leaning over and sniffing his bottles of shampoo. At first, Paul just stared, but Eric jerked up as if he’d been electrocuted, face going almost purple.

“P- Paul!”

“ _Eric?!_ What the hell?! What are you doing in here?”

“Uh… I…”

“Are you some kind of voyeur? Shit-- I don’t-- how long have you-- _Gene!_ Gene, how’d he get in here?!”

“Paul… I- I…. Ahh, fuck,” Gene’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. He had to take a second and drag a hand down his face in mild frustration. This evening wasn’t going the way he had planned… “Eric… Eric, come here.”

“Gene--” Paul tried shouting again but fell silent as Eric glided past him and straight into Gene’s awaiting arms. “ _Gene…?!_ ” Suddenly his tongue felt heavy in his mouth, his ears rose up on his head and all color began to drain from his face.

“Mhm, ‘m sorry, Gene… I tried being quiet but--”

“Eric, no. You were fine. Things… Things just didn’t go according to plan.” Gene shushed him, softly. His hand reached down and grabbed the spare room key from his back pants pocket, lifting it up and presenting it out for Paul to see. “Paul… Paul, I gave him the key to our room.”

“W- What? What, just so that he could help you decorate the room or something?!”

“No… No, That’s not it…”

“I did help decorate, though.” Eric piped up, but a firm squeeze from Gene silenced him for now.

“ _You…_ ” Oh, God. So Eric knew. Well, he had known since about Paris. That wasn’t the blow it could’ve been, honestly. Paul still faltered, rubbing his fingers hard against his forehead. “What were you gonna do, jump out of a birthday cake and yell ‘surprise’? Christ, don’t tell me Ace is in there, too--”

Eric shook his head. “He’s not in there--”

“Then what’s going on? What are you trying to tell me?”

“Paul, calm down,” Gene tried to speak evenly, softly to him. “Come over here to the bed… We have some things we’ve wanted to talk about.” Eric nodded along with him, glancing back over his shoulder at Paul. The lead singer had begun to shake, his chest rising and falling quickly, and Eric swallowed dryly at it.

“Gene… Are you sure this was the right time?” he muttered against his chest.

“It was- Shit, I mean it is. This is the right time. I mean… Fuck, Eric, we’ve been trying to find the time for months--”

“ _Months!?_ ” Paul squeaked.

“But now’s the time.” Gene glanced back up at Paul and motioned back to the bed. “Paul… please. I’m not gonna hurt you- this isn’t going to hurt you! We… We just want to talk.”

“You want to _talk?_ Oh, oh-- shit!” Paul’s hands were starting to sweat. “Don’t talk. I know what this is about.”

“Paul, just sit down--”

“I’m not sitting down for this! You’re leaving me for Eric! Shit, you-- you were gonna get me drunk and then run off with him! That’s it, isn’t it? Isn’t it? What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?”

“That’s not it! We… we want to…”

“I know I’ve been a pain in the ass the last couple months! I know it, okay? But you can’t do this shit to me! I don’t deserve it! Y- You--”

“I’m not breaking it off with you! I’m trying to-- I want to bring Eric in, all right? I just want to bring Eric in.”

“Oh, no.” Paul was backing up towards the bed. “Oh, fuck, no, I’m not dealing with that again. Forget it. If that’s how it is, then just go ahead and leave me right fucking now. Save us all another three years of grief.”

“I’m not leaving you. I won’t. It’s not like that.”

“Then what is this, Gene!? What am I looking at!?” Paul shouted at him, hardly noticing the tears that began to gather at the corners of his eyes. “‘Cause it looks like I’m staring at Eric snuggling up to you with your hands on his ass!”

“Paul… Jesus, would you lis _ten to what I’m telling you--_ ”

“ _No!_ Fuck you!”

“ _Paul!_ ” Gene growled out, finally raising his voice in frustration. “Fuck! Listen to me! I am not trying to hurt you--”

“You’re doing a fan- _fucking_ -tastic job, then Gene!” Paul cried, choking on his sobs now. “Fuh- Fuck you! Wasted my time- my love! Ruined Ace and me both for fucking what--” He broke off, throwing himself down on the bed, covering his face with his hands.

“ _Paul!_ ” Gene let go of Eric right away and ran over to him. He ignored the smacks and blows to his chest and arms as he gathered Paul up in his arms. Gene held him close, pinning his arms down to stop him from hitting him, and sighed. “Please, _please…_ Listen to me…”

“ _Wah- Why?!_ Give me one fuckin’ reason I should, you bastard!” Paul weeped, loudly.

“Because… I love you.”

“You _what?_ ” Paul was choking on his own words. He could feel Eric’s gaze and Gene’s stare on him, right there on his face. He was falling apart again. He had just gotten in a better state of mind, just started to recover, and just as soon as he had, Gene thought he had the go-ahead to be introducing Eric, wanting him to be included. Assumed he could worm his way into Paul’s acceptance by saying that he loved him. Like he was just some cheap, stupid groupie, like he didn’t have any pride, like he was so desperate for affection he’d endure whatever shit he had to, just like he had with Ace. But Ace’s binges were nothing compared to what Gene was doing to him now. “I don’t believe you!”

“I love you, Paul.” Experimentally, Gene loosened his grip on Paul’s arms. It only garnered him a punch clearly meant for his nose, one he barely managed to block, grabbing Paul’s wrists again, tugging them down hard. “ _Stop!_ It’s because I love you that we’re doing it like this!”

“You’re a liar! Ace was right about you the whole time! Let me go!”

“He’s not lying, Paul!” Eric now, standing there, looking frankly bewildered. He took another cautious step towards the bed. “We’ve been holding off for months! We didn’t want to do anything unless you knew about it first! Not unless you said it was okay!”

“W- What!? Gene- _Gene, what the fu-_ ”

“Paul, please. _Please…_ I’m not doing this to hurt you. I’m not breaking up with you. I just wanted to introduce Eric tonight,” Gene told him, softly. “Wanted to show you that he’s interested. I’m interested… have been for a while now, honestly.”

Eric edged closer to the bed, not stopping until he reached the side of it. “Paul… We didn’t do it. I wouldn’t ever hurt a friend or bandmate like that! _Ever!_ But, we’ve been waiting for a long time--”

“Waiting for you to find some footing again.” Gene cut in.

“And, well… I want to join you two. I want to be a part of this. I want to help you two- both in and out of the band. O- Only if you say it’s okay, though.” Eric told him. “If… If you don’t want me here or want Gene to do this, then please- please kick me out now. I’m not going to come in and ruin what you two have for my own selfish desires. I couldn’t live with that...”

“Saint Eric,” Paul snapped. “You want me to canonize you for not fucking Gene?”

“Paul, just--”

“I don’t need this right now! _I don’t!_ ”

“Paul.” Gene exhaled. Slowly, slowly, he let go of Paul’s arms again, half-expecting to field yet another punch. Instead, Paul’s hands went straight for the covers, balling them into his fists. His posture was slumped, and even though he’d stopped crying, his breath was coming in ragged little hitches. Gene reached out his hand, cupping Paul’s chin. He’d gotten back to shaving regularly again. Hardly any stubble there. Paul didn’t pull away. “Look at me, Paul. I love you. I love you, and I want this to work.”

“This isn’t going to work, Gene.” Paul’s voice was still shaky. Maybe he deserved this for wanting Gene so badly back years ago. For getting greedy and ruining everything. He bit his lip-- it was hard to keep focus on Gene’s face without feeling like he’d burst into tears again. “We’ve tried it. Did you tell him that, Gene?” He pulled away. “Eric, did he tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

The frustration on Paul’s face melted into disgust in an instant. He shot a glare at Gene, whose shoulders slumped just a bit in response.

“I’m not surprised. See, we invited Gene in, too. Me and Ace-- you told him we were together first, didn’t you, Gene?”

“That much, he knew.”

“I’ll bet. Anyway, all it did was-- fuck, you’ve seen what it did. It’s a miracle we’ve even got a band left.” Paul laughed, joylessly. “Hell, we don’t have a band left--”

“We _do_ have a band left, Paul.”

“Gene, you’re a fuckin’ idio-”

“ _We’re_ the band- we’re _KISS!_ ” Gene motioned between all three of them. “Look, it’s all of us right here in this room! A- And you wanna know something, everyone here wants KISS to work- wants to see it rise back above the heavens again!”

Paul sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled. “Gene… It isn’t the same as it once was… it doesn’t matter what we do, doesn’t matter if the new record’s a hit or not. It’ll never be like how it was again, dammit. A- And I don’t know about anything anymore…”

“Then stop trying to overthink it and look at _us!_ Look at me… Paul, I love you- so much. I love you, and that’s why I’m doing this the way I am. I don’t want to hurt you. Hell, I can’t hurt you like how you’re thinking I am.” Gene explained, gently. “Listen, just because Eric wants to join us doesn’t mean that I’ll start loving you any less.”

“ _Gene…_ ” Paul tried but lost his voice. Gene just smiled down at him and got closer.

“Can I?” he asked, lips mere inches away from Paul’s.

“Gene, Gene…” And there was the old desperate tone in his voice again. Paul just groaned at his own tone, then grabbed Gene’s face and pulled him closer. He kissed him hungrily and messily like it was the last thing he’d ever get to do. And maybe it was, by how fast his heart was beating in his chest.

Gene groaned softly when they pulled back from each other for air. “Fuck… _Paulie…_ ” he breathed.

“No, no. That’s what _you’re_ going to do for _me_ tonight.”

“Whatever you want, Paul. Whatever you need,” Gene smiled down at him and kissed him again. Messy, hungry and needy- Gene’s always appreciated Paul’s neediness when it got dirty like this. Paul pushed him closer by the back of his neck, making sure that they were as close as possible. Gene even put an arm around his waist to keep him firm against him, fingers digging into the cloth of the hip of Paul’s pants. “Anything you say goes tonight, starlight.”

“G- Gene, now is not the time for pet names--”

“You love it~” Gene’s eyes shone with amusement and desire. “You missed this, missed me calling you that, admit it~”

Paul felt his face heat up. "Fuck you."

Gene snorted. "I wish you would." 

"I'm trying to," he replied, kissing him again and moving them both to lay back against the pillows and have Gene resting firmly between his legs. "You're an incredible ass, I hope you know that."

“I know, I know,” Gene nodded in agreement, lips curling into an easy smile. “Would a blow job make you feel better?”

Paul simply let out an exasperated and yet amused sigh and leaned up to kiss Gene yet again, mumbling grumpily between each kiss. “You… Damn well… Know it won’t… But it’s a start…” he told him.

“Then lay back and let _Dr. Love_ treat you right.” Gene smirked, then paid a glance over Eric’s way. He was just fidgeting near the edge of the bed, totally not sure what to do with himself. “Eric, sit down. I want you to see this- course, only if you want, Paul--”

“As long as you don’t jump in right now, then it’s whatever.” Paul shook his head, feeling that old exasperation start to build up again each moment Gene spent talking to Eric instead of blowing him. “Gene, Gene~ C’mon, I just want you right now~”

“‘M coming, ‘m coming,” Gene muttered, sending a reassuring smile Eric’s way, then moving his complete focus back to his Paulie. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Eric sitting down on the edge of the bed, still looking nervous. Honestly, Eric hadn’t known what to expect out of tonight, but he never would’ve guess he would’ve been sitting on a bed watching Gene get ready to give Paul a blow job. But he couldn’t deny the anticipation and excitement bubbling through his veins, making him feel light and happy. Eric smiled when he saw Gene lean down again and capture Paul’s lips in a searing kiss, one Paul eagerly returned.

“You’re lucky I’ve missed this…” Paul whispered to him.

“Aww, you haven’t missed me?”

“Don’t push it right now…”

“Right, right,” he murmured, then gave him another beautiful kiss. A quiet whine tried to rush out from Paul, but it was swallowed by Gene. 

Eric felt his cock twitch at the sight of them together like this. _Gorgeous…_ Still, he couldn’t help but understand where all of this neediness from Paul was coming from. Gene and him had each other these last couple of months, and Paul had kept himself locked away. Eric couldn’t help but think about how Paul must’ve needed this- needed him right now, desperate for his love and touch and kisses. But he also knew that Gene felt the same sort of pull towards Paul. Eric knew Gene had missed him dearly, too, so he wasn’t going to interfere… not now.

Paul muttered softly under his breath as Gene carded his fingers through his hair and smiling when his partner’s eyes slipped shut. A strong sense of peace washed over Eric at the sight of it. It was a warm sight that he had never seen between the two before, and it showed him a glimpse of the kind of soft, loving, gentle relationship he was watching.

“Let me take care of you,” Gene whispered after a moment. “I’ve missed you.”

Paul simply nodded, and Gene eagerly reached down to zip down and throw off his pants and briefs, pulling out his hard cock, pre-cum already beading up at its tip. Fighting back his own desire to crawl over and join in, Eric just sat by and watched as Gene took his cock into his mouth, swallowing it down. A low groan shot out of Paul’s throat, his fingers reaching out to grip Gene’s hair, and a very satisfied look settled on his face. A brief stab of jealousy ran through Eric’s system, but it quickly died. _I’ve had Gene all to myself for a couple of months, and they haven’t been like this for that entire time…_ Eric knew that they needed to enjoy their time with one another. So, he just relaxed and listened as Gene worked that cock, observing Paul’s expressions of pleasure and desire.

“Gene… Mmhm, someone’s a little out of practice…” Paul said, then smiled at the look Gene’s eyes gave him. “Aw, alright, but you do look good with your mouth full like this.” Paul cupped Gene’s cheek, shivering a bit as he felt his cockhead brush against the inside. Gene’s lips just looked so plush, pink and wet as they slid over his hard flesh. Just beautiful. Absolutely lovely.

“Mhm, don’t worry, Gene,” Paul hummed, grabbing and tightening his hands on his hair. “I can help you practice and get back your technique.”

“I take it you were a very good teacher, then.” Eric blurted out.

Paul’s eyes shot up at him, glaring at him, but they held no true malice. “I was a downright wonderful teacher,” he told him, holding Eric’s gaze as he gave a hard thrust into Gene’s mouth, down his throat, smiling when he heard him gag. “Course, he didn’t keep up his studies…”

Paul smirked a little bit and kept Gene’s head in place, continuing to shove his cock down his throat. Gene was glaring up at him but taking it in stride. This was what he got for telling Paulie that he’d be willing to do anything for him tonight. 

At least Paul stopped holding him down, soon enough, and let him get back to business. Gene’s eyes crinkled, looking up at Paul as he licked a long stripe along Paul’s cock from base to head. The sight was so hot that Paul felt his chest constrict, arousal setting his veins on fire, his breath coming quick.

Gene pulled off his cock with a wet pop, peering up at Paul with wide eyes and swollen lips. “Feeling any better?” he asked, sweetly.

“ _No._ I haven’t come yet,” Paul muttered, grumpily.

“Mm, I think you feel a whole lot better. Your dick does, anyway.”

“Dammit, Gene,” Paul mumbled, grabbing his hair again, “get back to wor-”

“Back to work. I know, _I know._ ” And then Gene’s mouth was back on his cock, swallowing him down, his lips sliding up his shaft until his nose brushed Paul’s pelvis.

Paul moaned loudly, tossing his head back, feeling like his body was turning into liquid fire, and he was falling victim to his own wild desire. He could feel Gene’s rough hand playing with his balls, and it was almost too much! His moaning just encouraged Gene to suck harder, his long tongue tracing patterns against his flesh, and Paul’s hips jerked around.

Gene’s lips rose back up to the head of his cock, his tongue swirling over the tip, lips mouthing around it and kissing it gently, drool and pre-cum collecting on Paul’s cock. It was obscene, and Paul couldn’t hold himself back for much longer. His muscles tightened and his eyes squeezed shut. Paul didn’t manage to do much more than release his hold on Gene’s hair before coming into his mouth, his hips snapping, back arching, mouth dropping open in a soundless cry.

Paul could hardly register the fact that Gene sucked him dry, remained suckling him through the aftershocks until he fully fell limp against the bed. His eyes slowly drifted open to see Gene pull off his cock, parting his lips for him to see the cum lying on his tongue, a heavy drop suspended on his lower lip.

“Fuck, you’re filthy…” Paul said, still out of breath.

Gene cocked a brow up at him, giving him that tempting look that he knew always worked. Paul cursed internally.

“Gimme a taste-” he demanded, and he fit Gene’s chin between his fingers and turned him so that he could dip his tongue down inside his mouth and lap up the cum resting on his tongue.

Eric couldn’t help but let out a moan at the sight. He watched them pass Paul’s cum between their mouths, watched Gene actually slobber over him as more of his saliva began to mix in, until finally they both leaned back and swallowed.

“You’re still so goddamn filthy,” Paul told him, still out of breath.

Gene looked pleased.

“Is that the closest thing to a compliment that I’m going to get tonight?”

Paul glared at him.

“Alright. No pushing it, I get it.” Gene sighed, then reached over to the silver platter of chocolates and cheeses. “Here, open your mouth, starlight~” he smiled softly, holding a milk chocolate square between his fingers. Paul huffed, but he did open his mouth up, letting Gene gently place the piece on his tongue.

“That was gorgeous, Paul.” Eric complimented him, eyes wandering across the top portion of his body. “ _You_ were gorgeous…”

Paul said nothing but felt the heat rise to his cheeks, regardless.

“Aww, c’mon Paul. He’s just giving you some praise~” Gene chuckled, placing another piece of chocolate into Paul’s mouth, watching him eat it and savor the flavor on his tongue.

“Mhm, ‘m just tired…” he grumbled, softly. He accepted another piece of chocolate, white chocolate this time, and leaned into Gene’s hand.

“Wanna rest now, baby?” Gene whispered down to him, a small smile on his face.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m gonna take five…” Paul said, snatching the food platter away from Gene and curling up with it on his side of the bed. Gene just chuckled at him, petting his sides.

“Hey… I love you.”

Paul reached up with one hand and caught his, fingers curling atop his knuckles. “I love you, too, Gene.”

“You’re gonna be okay with this?”

“Yeah.” Paul rubbed slow circles against Gene’s knuckles. Some of the tension had faded with his orgasm, leaving a little more ease in his tone. “Yeah. Just-- just be patient. I’m… not promising I won’t bitch…”

“You couldn’t promise that if your life depended on it.”

“Did I hear something? I think it was you losing out on me giving you a return blowjob. I guess you’ll have to help him out, Eric.”

Eric blinked in surprise. “H- Help--”

Gene smiled, excitedly. “Paul? We can--”

“Yes, yes.” Paul waved at them both. “You’ve been waiting for me to say it… Gene,” he said, glancing up at him. “Just…” _Just come back to me afterwards, please._ “Just have fun.”

“Paul…” Eric sighed, softly. “Thank you.”

Paul didn’t reply. He only turned away from them both, curling around his treats like a dragon with its horde and popping another chocolate square in his mouth. Eric smiled, knowing it would be a bit longer before Paul really warmed up to this. That was fine, that was understandable. Gene and him didn’t ever count on Paul to just magically accept this- it would’ve been a foolish expectation.

“So, uh…” Eric trailed, suddenly at a loss for words. The European and Australian tour back in ’80 had been a crash course in rockstar excess, and his and Gene’s fooling around over the last few months had given him more than a primer on what Gene liked… but having sex in front of someone who wasn’t a groupie, who’d had a whole lot of sex with Gene before-- that was kind of daunting. What if Paul turned around and started critiquing his blowjob technique? If he was petty enough to comment on Gene’s… Eric flushed red. “However you wanna, uh, start off…”

“You were so eager before! C’mere, Eric.” Luckily for him, Gene found the flushing adorable, not really understanding where it stemmed from. He’d gotten over having an audience years ago-- Ace was more of a peanut gallery, honestly. Gene gathered Eric up before he could argue.

Suddenly, it was just a blur of hands gripping at cloth, mouths pressing together with a heated desperation, hands working at buttons and shoving all articles of clothing off.

“ _Gene…!_ ” Eric groaned, his arms wrapping themselves around the bassist’s waist, his hips instinctively rocking up against Gene’s. Gene smirked, and he lowered himself down until his lips were at his neck, dragging his teeth over his skin, before biting down and sucking.

“Gene!” Eric gasped, “Fuck, Gene!”

The two of them had wanted this for so, so long. To finally be experiencing it- to finally be in the moment both of them had been dreaming of for ages- it was so much. Almost too much.

Gene brought his mouth up, close enough for his lips to brush against Eric’s ear. “Want me to fuck you?”

Eric groaned, loudly.

“Hmm? What was that, Eric? I didn’t catch that--”

“Gene!” he cut him off. “Oohh! Fuck…! Please, _please._ ” Gene was going to fuck him… God… Eric thought the most he’d get out of this evening- if everything went right with Paul- would be a hand job or blow job! To hear Gene whisper and ask him if he wanted him to fuck him? Ohhhh! It was way too much! “Fuck me!”

Gene nodded, then continued to speak, his voice low and rough, breaking Eric apart with its lust. “Imma fuck you, Eric,” he groaned, pressing his hips forward against his.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Eric breathed, “Please, Gene!”

With a hungry grin, Gene grabbed down at Eric, reeling the drummer back in for another kiss, this one far more sweet and lingering. Gene took his time, teasing and refusing to let Eric deepen the kiss. Eric groaned in frustration. Gene flipped them over on the bed, his hands landing firm on Eric’s hips and yanking the shorter man towards him. Eric just retaliated by grinding up against Gene, making him curse lowly and drop his head down to bite Eric’s shoulder. Eric groaned, and Gene grinned, moving back to his face to place a sweet kiss against his lips.

Still hovering over Eric, Gene reached down to his pants to grab a condom out of his wallet, slide it on, and then over to the nightstand to pluck the bottle of lube off of it.

“So fuckin’ cute, Eric.” Gene said as he nudged Eric’s legs slightly further apart. “Too pure~” he placed a gentle kiss against Eric’s inner thigh, as he snapped open the lid of the lube. “You flush so pretty, and I love the way you’re moaning for me.”

Eric moaned loudly, turning to press his face in the sheets, as Gene pressed the first finger into him, up to the knuckle.

“Don’t hide your face,” There was some command behind Gene’s words, but it was softened by the way Gene was stroking his thigh. Even still, Eric turned his face back away from the sheets. “That’s it. That’s it, good boy.” Gene told him, then began to fuck Eric slowly, steadily, with one thick finger, pausing at any sign of tenseness from Eric. “You’re doing so good, Eric.”

Gene leaned in to kiss him, dirty and deep, drawing sweet whimpers and soft moans from Eric’s mouth, as his hand worked. Then he pulled back, barely, and let his lips brush against Eric’s as he continued to speak, “Fuck, look at how easy you spread your legs for me~ You’ve been wanting this forever, haven’t you? It’s alright, so have I~”

The effect was instantaneous, and those words had Eric wriggling, thrusting down on his hand, and hard as hell.

“M- More!” Eric panted, hotly. “ _Please,_ Gene!”

Gene chuckled, deeply, and complied, adding another finger, drawing in a steady breath as Eric gasped aloud at the stretch. 

“Fuck, Eric…” Gene smirked down at him. “You’re gonna be so tight for me. So tight and ready to be fucked--” A piece of cheddar hit his cheek, and he glanced down at Paul, who had _innocently_ just curled tighter around his platter of food. Gene rolled his eyes at him. Okay, okay. He got it. Downplay the dirty talk some for Paul. He could comply with that.

Gene had more important matters to focus on, anyway. Like Eric whining and rocking his hips under him. Immediately, Gene moved his hand to press down on Eric’s hip. Gene worked him open carefully, scissoring his fingers and stretching while moving his other hand from Eric’s hip to stroke his side, relax him.

Then he pulled his hand back, ignoring Eric’s whimper of protest, to pour more lube onto his fingers. He pressed his fingers back into Eric, adding a third. Eric keened, his torso twisting away, but still fucking himself down on Gene’s fingers. Gene stopped for a moment, and Eric whimpered as loud as he could.

“What’s wrong, Eric?” Gene asked him, concern spilling out over his tone. “Was I too rough? What--”

“No! No, no…” Eric panted, moving his hands up to hide his face with his dark curls. “K- Keep going, Gene! ’S fine!”

“Eric, what’s wrong? Please--”

“‘M sensitive, ’s’all,” Eric whined, squirming about.

“Fuck, Eric, I thought I’d hurt you.” Gene groaned, “So, keep going, then?”

Eric nodded, fervently. “Fuck yes! Gene, please! Please! _Yes!_ ”

Gene gave him another moment to change his mind, but that was a moment too long for the drummer. Eric rocked back down on Gene’s fingers, clenching, drawing a swear from Gene’s lips. That was more than enough to renew Gene’s vigor.

Gene’s fingers quickly found Eric’s prostate, drawing a moan from the shorter man. With a devilish grin, Gene kept his fingers working Eric over, then leaned down to capture his little lover’s mouth in a filthy kiss. A deep, filthy kiss that did little to distract Eric from the fact that those fingers were dragging him closer and closer to orgasm. Of course, Gene pulled back and pulled his fingers out of him before he could come. Eric cried out and bit Gene’s bottom lip in return.

“ _Ouch!_ ” Gene murmured, softly. “Aww, c’mon, Eric. You really thought I was going to make you come with my fingers the first time?”

Eric paid him a soft glare. “Tease… You’re a real tease, Genie.” 

Gene just leaned back down and kissed him, a mix of sweet and teasing, but he had Eric smiling again by the time he pulled back. Eric’s arms wound their way around his waist, holding Gene against himself. “So, you gonna fuck me or not?”

“How do you want it?”

Eric’s tongue flicked out, wetting his lips, and he exhaled, “On my knees.”

“Doggy style it is, then.” Gene smirked, then rolled off of Eric to let him get onto his hands and knees. His fluffy mop completely covered any chance Gene might have had at seeing his face, but Gene convinced himself that he would be plenty content hearing the sweet noises from him instead. Gene maneuvered himself behind Eric, leaning up across Eric’s back to press kisses to the back of his neck, across his shoulders and down some of his spine. Eric leaned back into each and every touch and kiss, panting up a storm.

Reaching over to grab the lube, Gene squirted the last of the bottle into his hand, then tossed it aside. “We’re gonna need more lube,” he commented more so to himself than anyone in particular as he reached down to slick up his cock. Then he lined himself up and paused. “You ready, Eric?”

Eric nodded, his fluffy curls bouncing up and down excitedly. “Been ready! Been ready for a long time, Gene.”

Gene took his sweet time, giving Eric a chance to adjust to him as he slid forward, holding tightly to Eric’s hips to prevent him from pushing back before he was ready. Below him, Eric let out some of sweetest sounds and softest curses, begging Gene to go just a bit faster for him.

Once fully seated in Eric, Gene took a moment to press his forehead against his back, taking smooth, steadying breaths. Eric moved the process along, though, fucking himself back on Gene’s cock, and Gene’s hips instinctively snapped forward. Eric let out a very long, low groan. It was more than enough to have Gene draw back slowly, then thrust back into Eric in earnest.

“ _G- Gene!_ Oh fuck…!” Eric gasped, sharply, his hands curling into the bedsheets below him. Another thrust, and he was dropping down onto his forearms. His curls fell around his face, completely hiding him, but not muffling his moans in the slightest.

Gene held onto Eric’s hips as leverage, leaning down to pepper sweet kisses to wherever he could reach and whatever wasn’t covered with hair. He fucked into Eric a bit rougher now, really drawing out those breathless moans, sharp whines and faint whimpers from the drummer. Eric thrust back against him, clenching tight around Gene, pulling out his own swears and groans from Gene. The two of them set themselves up a good rhythm, a bit rough, a lot of sweetness, and an even push and pull between them.

“You’re doing so, so good, Eric.” Gene praised him, one of his hands reaching down to grab Eric’s. Instantly, their fingers laced together and locked firmly. “You’re so fuckin’ cute. So beautiful~ But so cute that I could just eat you up--” And Gene bit down on Eric’s shoulder, drawing out a high pitched cry from the drummer.

“Gene, Gene, Gene~” Eric breathed, heavily. “Fuck, _fuck--_ ” he cursed on a particularly hard thrust. “ _Gene~!_ ”

“I’ve got you, Eric,” Gene promised him. “I’ve got you. Fuck, fuck… You’re doing so good- fucking fantastic! Yeah, _yeah!_ Just like that- you can do it! Come for me, Eric!”

Eric came with a low whine, and Gene cursed loudly as he clenched around him, deliciously tight and totally wrenching his orgasm from him. With a soft exhale, Eric fell to the bed, and Gene followed suit.

Gene curled around Eric, wrapping his arms around him, pulling him close. Totally incapacitated by the scent of sex and whatever cologne Gene was wearing, it was all Eric could do to rest his head against his chest, ear pressed right above his heart.

“Mmhm, c’mon, Eric… Gotta move one more time.” Gene muttered, softly down to him. The shorter man just whined and let Gene haul him back up towards the head of the bed, plopping him down on one side of him while Paul rested on his other. 

Gene glanced over at Paul, noticing that the platter had been completely demolished, and smiled. Rolling his eyes at his partner’s smile, Paul just dropped the platter down on the floor and rolled over and cuddled into him. Eric did the same, and Gene’s smile only grew. He reached down with both hands and grabbed one of theirs in his, lacing their fingers together.

“This is gonna work, Paulie. This is gonna really work this time, I promise you.” Gene murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to the crown of Paul’s head, pressing his face into Paul’s bushy hair. “I love you~”

“I love you, too.” Paul looked a little hesitant, but he wasn’t pulling away, tired, still fairly sated from the blowjob earlier. He hadn’t watched as much as he’d listened. The needy moans and flirts-- he’d expected to be a lot more upset than he was over them. There was something there on both sides beyond just lust, and for right now, yeah, that did hurt. But with Gene by his side again, reassuring and warm, the sting of it eased substantially. Something open and honest, some bit of faith, trust, whatever… he wanted to believe Gene on this one. He wanted it to finally, finally work out. If this was what it took, then… then right now, that was all right. He stifled a yawn, grabbing a couple of the petals still lying on the bed, and tossing them at Gene’s face. Eric’s, too. “I’m gonna get some sleep…”

“Mmhm, you rest, Paulie.” Gene hummed, warmly.

“Are we gonna sleep, too…?” Eric asked, brushing the petals from his cheeks, then trying his best to stifle a yawn. Gene smiled and leaned over to kiss the top of his head.

“Yeah… Yeah, I don’t want to push you too much tonight. We want you to be able to walk into the studio tomorrow.” he chuckled.

“Gosh, I just hope I’ll be able to sit on my stool right.”

“You will be,” Gene pressed another kiss to his head. “I wasn’t that rough.”

“Nah, you were real sweet~” Eric smiled up at him. He sighed and rubbed his face against Gene’s chest. “Gene… This is gonna work, yeah?”

“This is going to work, Eric.” Gene turned back to face Paul and nuzzled into him. “This is going to work, Paul. I promise you both… I swear, we’re going to work. KISS is going to be stronger than ever. _I swear it._ ”


End file.
